tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post7535268277471253884..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: Train (Wreck) in VainJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-66776207044507620522010-09-05T08:37:26.186-05:002010-09-05T08:37:26.186-05:00It seems to me that Republicans in general have be...It seems to me that Republicans in general have become more spiteful, petty and vindictive in the last ten years. Is it because their president was petty, vindictive and spiteful? Look at John McCain, their candidate. Petty, vindictive and spiteful.<br /><br />I don't think they care so much about governing as they do about rubbing someone's face in something; the current crop of republican politicians reflects this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-17371621622865848452010-09-05T08:20:18.187-05:002010-09-05T08:20:18.187-05:00"the problem for them was that Clinton was un..."the problem for them was that Clinton was unwilling to give them that much"<br /><br />Aye. There's the rub. Obama has ALREADY caved with a substantial majority in the House and a working majority in the Senate. Clinton was a fighter. Obama is not. In the face of a GOP majority Obama will blink and give them what they want so government is not "shutdown".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-73203990690010055092010-09-05T05:04:22.849-05:002010-09-05T05:04:22.849-05:00I'm old enough to remember Reagan shutting dow...I'm old enough to remember Reagan shutting down the government. It's interesting that many liberals seem unable or unwilling to recall that earlier precedent.<br /><br />It worked for Reagan. Along with the air traffic controllers' strike, it cemented the perception that his toughness was for real.<br /><br />Taking the Reagan and Clinton precedents together, we might draw the lesson that such confrontations tend to favor the president. But I would say it's just too few data points.David Tomlinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-7496666271098627602010-09-05T03:36:12.469-05:002010-09-05T03:36:12.469-05:00Jonathan Bernstein:
. . . while plenty of Republ...Jonathan Bernstein:<br /><br /><i> . . . while plenty of Republicans talked about forcing Clinton to back down, I don't recall many who were advocating a shutdown as a positive for its own sake.</i><br /><br />Are there 'many' now?<br /><br />Alaska Senate nominee Joe Miller explicitly says 'if we have to'. <br /><br />Dick Morris seems to take it for granted that Obama will veto, and so doesn't bother to say if he would prefer that Obama back down. Christina Bellantoni tries to insinuate that 'Morris and other Republicans . . . think a shutdown would be a good thing', but that isn't supported by quotes from Morris himself, much less the unnamed 'other Republicans'.<br /><br />That leaves Erick Erickson, one of those fringe clowns who gets attention by throwing rhetorical stink bombs. MediaMatters seems to think Erickson, all by his lonesome, constitutes 'the right-wing media'.David Tomlinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-33163328524211349982010-09-04T18:39:45.789-05:002010-09-04T18:39:45.789-05:00Agree with everything here, but I'll add one m...Agree with everything here, but I'll add one more thing. The fact that we're already talking about this now is probably an indicator that this gambit will not work, because it robs the GOP of the necessary "reacting to shocking and terrible events" dynamic that they will need to sell this crap to the American people. It's essential that they appear to be forced into this unpleasant alternative by the intransigent president or the horrors of the budget, or whatever -- it can't be premeditated (or appear to be such). <br /><br />And the same is true of impeachment. In my view Democrats (meaning regular voters speaking informally, not institutional Democrats) should be talking up the likelihood of a government shutdown AND impeachment right now. (As you have been doing.) If we can get those two themes to be more or less boring CW by November, then of necessity it will make it impossible for the Republicans to play the role of the reasonable party overwhelmed by the preponderance of the shocking evidence; they're pre-overwhelmed. It's not going to help them. <br /><br />Let's practice. You're talking to an independent voter or a moderate Democrat who isn't feeling too inspired: "The Republicans are probably going to shut down the government, and they're probably going to impeach Obama on flimsy evidence. If you like the sound of that, you should vote for the Republicans. If not...."Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18440356770947146690noreply@blogger.com